Thursday, October 1, 2015

What is Bookie Woogie? Over the course of seven years, the Z-Kids embarked on a variety of family reading adventures. I posted their responses to both newly released books and old favorites -- picture books, chapter books, board books, and graphic novels. Together we talked about the craft of writing and the techniques of illustration. They created hundreds of pieces of fan art with crayon, pencil, pastel, clay, cut paper, scratch board, sewing, and video. They interviewed great authors and illustrators, including Newbery and Caldecott winners. And we recorded it all for you! I hope this site serves as a timeless, valuable resource. As you dig into the vast Archive, I hope you'll sense a love for books, a love for art, and a family's love for each other. So what is Bookie Woogie? Bookie Woogie is made up of:

7 years

6 kids

195 posts

140 book reviews

20 author interviews

178 books highlighted

177 authors & illustrators highlighted

520 pieces of fan art created (wow!)

Check it all out! Here are links to every Bookie Woogie review:

Bookie Woogie's posts have prompted 120 unsolicited responses from
the authors and illustrators whose books the Z-Kids reviewed. Sometimes these creators sent an email, sometimes they left comments on a post, sometimes
they posted thoughts on their own blogs or social media. Here's a small, small sampling of what the creators of great children's books have said about
Bookie Woogie:

"Check out my favorite review of
Rapuzel's Revenge on Bookie Woogie. An utter delight. The icing is
the kids do a piece of art, which you can see at the end. Isaac blows
me away, Gracie is hysterical, and Lily is so observant. I'd adopt them
all if they didn't obviously already have a great dad.

This is such a great way to combine reading, art, and action with kids in the home."

"Please
drop everything that you are doing right now and go to Bookie Woogie
and read it. It might possibly put a smile on your face. But it won't
be as big as the smile on mine. Trust me.What I love about their review is that I FEEL like I was perched
there on the couch with them, this creative, funny family all cozied up
reading my book. It's what makes being an author so awesome -- the idea
that people, somewhere, are enjoying something I created.And not just reading it either. They discuss the book. They examine
the book. They talk about how it might have been created, how it
affects them, what the book is trying to say. Gracie, Lily, and Isaac
are going to grow up to be book-lovers. And one of them just might
become an author too. Or an artist!! They include ART in their
review! Fantastic."

"Several
different people have mentioned to me that they'd read your family blog
about my book and liked it.
So I just wanted to say again how much I appreciate how involved in my
donutbook you and your family became and how delightfully you expressed
it in your blog."

"I
was honored and thrilled by your words. Wow... thank you. I see that
you all take this very seriously without losing any of the joy that
books bring. It's wonderful that you guys sit down and look really
closely. We authors and illustrators live for audiences like you.

One
spends all his time in a room trying to make a book that others will
want to see, but you never really know what will happen once it goes out
into the world. I'm moved and humbled that my book drew you in and
had a positive influence. Thank you. Stories like yours make what I
do even better than I could ever imagine.

I look
forward to reading all your discussions and know I will learn much
about books by my friends (authors and illustrators) and many other
books that I've loved for years. But I most look forward to being
delighted by your smart and thoughtful take on children's books you have
loved. I can't wait."

"I
believe all of you are the most wonderful readers of my books. I’ve
never met readers like you who could read my
ideas perfectly and find every detail I made. Moreover, you can read in
your own creative way. Your family encourages me a lot, and even your
comments give me inspiration. And most of all your drawings are
wonderful. I am so moved."

"You
know I am a huge and long-time fan of your work, and nearly fainted
with joy to see my own book reviewed here. Thank you thank you thank you great readers,
great children, great bloggers, and great artists."

"Honestly,
when I saw this I was speechless. I am completely wowed by the Bookie
Woogie Bloggers' creation! Not only are the shadow puppets so
beautifully done, the pacing, script, and music is great, too. This is
the perfect movie to show students before and after they read the book."

"I
was having a rough week... lots of little things going wrong. My rule
is: mope for 5 minutes, then sketch something. First, for some
mysterious reason, I googled "This is the Stable > reviews." And
there you all were!

This is without a doubt,
the most exciting, endearing, and astonishingly cheerful thing that's
twirled my way in many moons. The more I read their comments, the more I
smiled. Thank you for reading my little book with your fine crew.

"I am not exaggerating when I type a tear is in my eye. I have been Zenzed.

'Louise'
is on Bookie Woogie, a blog from a family I have never met in person
but have known online for over seven years. Aaron Zenz you inspire and
now your kids do as well. Thanks for this gift. I am so touched that
your amazingly creative family likes my book."

About Us

Z-KIDS

We love the written word. We love art. Children's books are a place where those two things come together beautifully. Here at Bookie Woogie we pick our favorite books, review them, and create some accompanying fan art. We invite you to participate too: please chime in with your thoughts and comments!